This was a comprehensive hip hop, film and urban culture blog written entirely by an information junkie/graphomaniac Bostonian ex emcee/film student/record and video store manager/graf writer/streetballer called Dart Adams.

Friday, April 18, 2008

What's New In Dart's iPod #26 AKA When The Internet Gives You Leaked Albums You Review That Shit, Son!

It’s been so damn long since I did one of these that I almost forgot how the format went. After several dry weeks the dam burst this week and now Lyrics Born’s “Everywhere At Once”, Flying Lotus “Los Angeles”, Santogold and Atmosphere’s “When Life Gives You Lemons You Paint That Shit Gold” have all hit the ‘net and I will review them all in the same order I just ran down.

Since so many of you are curious to hear (or read) my take on these albums after a three week absence I won’t waste any more time and just get to business. I don’t rate albums on a scale or assign them a numerical value out of 5 or 10, instead I merely answer the all important question of “Is it worth buying or not?”. Here's how my "Cop It Or Not" ratings system breaks down below:Oh No! This CD is a drink coaster/table balancer/doorstop/gerbil/hamster room divider/frisbee/discus/makeshift shield/last ditch choice for a visor/alternate shuriken choice. Sell this shit to whoever is dumb enough to buy it from you.

Maeby (Maybe)! Depending on your own set of personal preferences you might like this joint. Give it a listen first to see if it's in your lane or not.

Lyrics Born is a legendary emcee from the seminal underground duo Latryx and his new album has just surfaced. Will he recapture the old Solesides/Quannum days or will I just not be interested? Let’s see:

Best Joints: Don’t Change, Hott 2 Deff, I Like It I Love It, The World Is Calling, Top Shelf, Rules Where Meant To Be Broken (Remix), Let Me In Let Me Out (Remix)

Hot Garbage: Differences, Cakewalk, I’m A Phreak, Is It The Skin I’m In, Do U Buy It, Whispers and I Can’t Decide (Everywhere At Once).

Dart’s Take: I was not feeling too much on this album I’m sorry to say. I kinda liked Lyrics Born’s last album but this one did nothing for me at all. The constant guest vocalists (that weren't Joyo Velarde) began to grate on my nerves and these beats just aren’t as fresh as they used to be back in the days. Lyrics Born isn’t blowing me away with his rhymes anymore, either. I was completely bored out of my mind while listening to this LP sad to say.

I was a huge Solesides and Quannum fan but it seems like I may have reached the end of the road with these cats if this is how their new shit is gonna be sounding from now on. I’ll just play the old Quannum "Spectrum" album instead. Out of respect for these cats, even though I hated this album personally, it is far from wack so I’ll give it a maybe because other people might dig it (not the kid, though...sorry!)

If you’ve never at least heard Flying Lotus’ “1983” or last year's dope “Reset EP” than you should probably slap yourself...or not (it can go either way). The Warp Records producer’s album is due to drop this June but “Los Angeles” has recently leaked and it was the talk of Okayplayer’s The Lesson section last night into this afternoon. I’ve been waiting for this joint for a while. Read my take on it below:

Dart’s Take: If you are already a fan of Flying Lotus then I recommend that you cop this album the second it’s available for purchase this June. If you aren’t familiar with Flying Lotus, his music or his production style then you should first borrow a copy of “1983” or the “Reset EP” and see you can vibe with his material.

Visit his MySpace page and if you like what you hear then you should be line to purchase “Los Angeles” when June comes around. This is music you just put on the iPod or iTunes (I'm a Mac user) and just rock to, not a lot of thinking involved...just press play, relax and listen. I give “Los Angeles’ a most def for myself but a recommend maybe for my readers that may or may not be able to rock with Flying Lotus’ offbeat style of music.

Santogold (Santi White)’s new album has finally hit the ‘net, it officially drops on April 29th and after the EP “I Believe In Santogold” surfaced on all of the blogs anticipation for this project hit a fever pitch. Is this album going to live up to all of the expectations that people have for it? Find out below:

Dart’s Take: I’ve been rockin’ this joint nonstop since I got it. I still haven’t stopped playing the original EP either so that should give you an idea about how much I like it. Santi White manages to mix Hip Hop with British synth pop, 80’s pop and Ska/Reggae influences all into this impressive debut album.

As far as songwriting goes, you know Santi’s gonna bring it because she wrote one of my all time favorite albums in Res’ “How I Do” and her old band Stiffed’s material was ill thanks to her lyrics and vocals. I like M.I.A’s album but I like Santogold's even more. It's hella infectious and catchy..you will be singing these joints and/or you won't be able to get some of these songs out of your head ("Shove It" and "Unstoppable" come to mind). This gets an easy mos def. Cop this joint when it drops on April 29th.

Last but not least, the review you’ve all been waiting for: Atmosphere’s “When Life Brings You Lemons You Paint That Shit Gold”. It’s been a long three year wait for a new full length Atmosphere project, can Ant and Slug deliver again like they did on 2005’s “You Can’t Believe How Much Fun We’re Having”? Read my take below:

Dart’s Take: This is the kind of music we need right now. This album seems to be telling the stories of a nation on the cusp of a new era of American history. Things are pretty fucked up across the board for everyone and the Bush Administration is pissing in the faces of the American public and calling it rain. We ARE in an economic recession, people! We SHOULDN’T be in Iraq. The money that should be be here helping American interests is flying overseas. There is no raise forthcoming.

Minimum wage has stayed the same while the cost of living has risen. Folks are coming back to the world after serving their country overseas and they come back to a mismanaged nation. I listen intently to the lyrics that Slug drops over Ant’s sonic landscapes and I am feeling the same emotions that he is as he paints his picture. He’s spittin’ about some REAL SHIT that you can relate to easily if you have bills, anxieties, and brain or a goddamn pulse. Sometimes, it's even too real. I give this album a mos def, now cop it when it drops April 22nd!

Vital Information About Dart

If you don't know who I am by now then Google my previous work from 2006 to the present day. I'm one of the people your favorite writers, journalists & bloggers ask for help or information. I'm also the dude wack writers & fake journalists fear more than Spell/GrammarCheck.